h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi Apple,

Thank you for your kind comment about my entry

Seems I got it in the wrong place though I put it in Peer Review when it should have gone in Alternative Writing Workshop. So I've removed it from one and added it to the other

Joy looks perfectly normal, in fact she's pretty and lively so she does tend to attract attention. Eventually I gave up trying to explain to people that she was autistic because I just didn't have time to help them understand such a complex syndrome.

She left the islands last September to be a termly boarder at a mainland residential special needs school where she is doing very well. She comes home at half terms and holidays. Well, we do the 650 mile round trip by car to collect her We miss her .... but it is nice to re-acquaint ourselves with our marriage again (twenty six years this coming May 1st!)

Armorel

Hi Armorel, I read your peice it was nice in a lot of ways. It was obviously a hard peice to write and must have been a harder situation to deal with.

It is crappy when people cop an attitude because of the behaviour of any children.

A woman who once saw me struggling to control one dog while retreive another who had slipped his lead in pursuit of a cat next to a busy road and came to help simply said when I offered my profuse thanks, "think nothing of it. A moments help is worth a lifetimes pity"

I wish more people had that same attitude where understandoing and condemnation were involved.

I can see why the old fella might not have thought much of using the word he did. even if he did not mean it to be hurtful its impact on you cant have been very pleasant. It is always hard when you are dealing with *any* children and some thoughless person makes things worse with their embarasing and crass comments.

I think its good that children where possible are kept together regardless of their different abilities and only some of their education is streamed and specialised. Hopefully future generations will have a better understanding. Even the kids here who as kids will use anything as an insult and call each other "special" when someone is being a bit slow on the uptake do understand that someones special needs does not mean that person is normal, but has special needs. Just like ginger people are normal, but need a higher SPF sun screen.

So dont let what that guy said get you down. I doubt he really meant to be cruel. Cruelty denotes some malicious forethought. Why not take it as a reminder of where we have come from and as insensitive as he is he is just a normal guy, but with a limited education.

one love

Hello, Armorel... It's good that Joy is in a school that benefits her... wow, a 650 mile round trip!

My nephew has Aspergers, he is an angelic looking kid but with some behaviours people call weird, my sister doesn't explain him any more than you do with Joy, it's just too much sometimes, and you shouldn't have to, should you?